Disk drive manufacturers typically test manufactured disk drives for compliance with a collection of requirements. Test equipment and techniques exist for testing large numbers of disk drives serially or in parallel. Manufacturers tend to test large numbers of disk drives simultaneously or in batches. Disk drive testing systems typically include one or more tester racks having multiple test slots that receive disk drives for testing. In some cases, the disk drives are placed in carriers which are used for loading and unloading the disk drives to and from the test racks.
The testing environment immediately around the disk drive is closely regulated. Minimum temperature fluctuations in the testing environment are critical for accurate test conditions and for safety of the disk drives. The latest generations of disk drives, which have higher capacities, faster rotational speeds and smaller head clearance, are more sensitive to vibration. Excess vibration can affect the reliability of test results and the integrity of electrical connections. Under test conditions, the drives themselves can propagate vibrations through supporting structures or fixtures to adjacent units. This vibration “cross-talking,” together with external sources of vibration, contributes to bump errors, head slap and non-repetitive run-out (NRRO), which may result in lower yields and increased manufacturing costs. Current disk drive testing systems employ automation and structural support systems that contribute to excess vibrations in the system and/or require large footprints.
In some cases, in order to combat undesirable vibrations, disk drives are clamped to a carrier and/or to a tester rack in such a manner as to inhibit or dampen vibrations. A well known way of inhibiting the effects of vibration originating at the disk drive is to mount the disk drive to a mounting device (e.g., a carrier) such that a center of rotation of the mounting device is outside of the footprint of the disk drive. For example, FIG. 1 shows a conventional disk drive mounting arrangement (e.g., for a disk drive test apparatus 50). As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus 50 includes a carrier 52 having a disk drive receiving portion 54 for receiving a disk drive 600 therein. The disk drive 600 is rigidly connected to the carrier 52 (e.g., with fasteners 56 and/or clamps 57). The carrier 52 is received in bay 62 of a chassis 60, which may include plural bays (e.g., multiple rows and or columns of bays). A mounting arrangement supports the carrier 52 within the chassis 60 such that a center of rotation 58 of the carrier 52 is spaced a distance away from the disk drive receiving portion 54 and the disk drive 600. Known mounting arrangements include, for example, a pin 64 about which the carrier 52 can pivot. Arrow 70 illustrates the resultant movement of the carrier 52 relative to the chassis 60 effected by rotation (arrow 72) of a disk 620 of the disk drive 600 in the carrier 52.